Safety hat or cap



Oct. 16, 1934. A. A. s'mAuss SAFETY HAT OR CAP Filed Aug. 2. 1933 Patented Oct. 16, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

This invention relates to hats or caps such as are used by miners and other workers to protect their heads from blows by dropped articles and from blows against beams and the like.

5 Included in the objects of the invention are the provision of a novel general construction of hat or cap adapted to be worn by persons in danger of striking their heads against objects or to have objects dropped on their heads; to provide novel means for stiffening the crown portion of such a cap; to so form the crown portion and the stiffening means as to prevent flexure or breakage under impact; to provide novel ventilating means for such a hat or cap and to provide a band arrangement in an article of this class such that the band portion of the hat while stiff enough to resist injury to the wearer will be so arranged as to enable the band to readily conform to the shape of the wearers head and to rest on the head without unpleasant pressure against the forehead.

With the above and other objects in view, as will be hereinafter apparent, one preferred constructive form of the invention will now be described and specifically claimed, reference beiug had to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of the complete invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of a. blank used in forming the body of the hat.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the blank shown in Figure 2 and illustrating the first step in the formation of the hat body.

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing a further step in the formation of the body wherein the body of the blank has been pressed to its final form.

Figure 5 is a detailed section on the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a detailed section on the line 6-6 of Figure 1.

Figure '7 is a detailed horizontal section through a portion of the head band and show- 5 ing the flexible insertion used at the front there- I, of

The body of the hat is formed from a blank of arcuate shape and cut or stamped from suitable rigid electrically non-conductive material such as fibre, or treated animal, vegetable or mineral matter, or chemical compounds capable of being pressed or molded to form. In the formation of this body a blank 10 of the shape described. is cut or stamped out of the material chosen and the ends of the blank are then brought approximately together as shown in Figure 3 after which the blank, which is then of frusto-conical form, is subjected to a pressing operation. This results in the formation of a body 11 substantially in the shape of a spherical zone and thus having an opening 12 at the top. Tapering ribs 13 are stamped to project upwardly from the body 11 around the opening 12 and extend radially from the opening down along the sides of the body 11. The ends of the body are secured together by riveting or stitching or the like as shown at 14. A flat domed-shaped cap 15 rests on the ribs 13 and is secured to said ribs by rivets 16. This cap covers the opening 12 and projects well over the body adjacent said opening. Thus there is formed between the main part of the body and the domed-shaped cover or cap 15, a series of passages 18. These passages are of considerable area since the ribs 13 are widely spaced and thus ample room is left for ventilation at the top of the cap. A head band 19 is fitted within the lower part of the body 11 and secured thereto by riveting or stitching 20. At the front the lower part of the head band is cut away along an arcuate line 21 and a strip 2 of material which is softer and more flexible than the material of the band is attached to the band at the front to cover the gap formed by the cutting away portion. A sweat band 23 extends around the hat within the band and the strip 22 and has its lower edge 24 turned outwardly and upwardly to lie on the outside of the band and said strip. Between the sweat band and the head band is a pad 25 and stitching 26 serves to hold the upturned edge 24 and the lower part of the padding 25 to the head band and strip 22. A visor 2'1 is mounted on the front of the cap and stitching 28 serves to hold the visor to the head band and also to hold the upper part of the padding 25 in position.

With a hat formed in this manner the part of the band which rests against the forehead is sufliciently flexible and yielding to permit ready conformation of the head band to the head of a wearer and does not produce unpleasant pressure on the forehead.

It will now be seen that the domed-shaped body and crown arrangement afford great resistance to blows which might fall on the upper part of a wearers head while, at the same time, there is sufficient flexibility therein and softness in the band portion of the hat to eliminate all unpleasant pressure. Furthermore, ample ventilation is secured through the wide ventilating spaces 18.

I claim:

1. In a hat of the type described, a dome like rigid body having an opening at its top and provided withvupstanding ribs spaced circumferentially around said opening, and a rigid cap member covering the opening and resting on and secured to said ribs.

2. In a hat of the type described, a rigid body having a ventilating opening in its top provided with a rigid guard cap, and a head band at the bottom of the body including a rigid portion encircling the body and having a segmental gap at its lower front edge and a flexible strip closing said gap.

3. In a hat of the type described, a rigid crown portion, a head band at the bottom of the crown and having rigid side and rear portions and a flexible forehead engaging front portion, a sweat band secured to the bottom of the head band, and padding secured to the head hand between the sweat band and head band.

4. In a hat of the type described, a rigid body having a ventilating opening in its top provided with a rigid guard cap, a head band at the bottom of the body and having rigid side and rear portions and a flexible forehead engaging front portion, a sweat band secured to the bottom of the head band, and padding secured to the head band between the sweat band and head band.

5. In a hat of the type described, a rigid body having a. ventilating opening in its top provided with a rigid guard cap, a head band at the bottom of the body including a rigid portion'encircling the body and having a segmental gap at its lower front edge and a flexible strip closing said gap, a sweat band secured to the bottom of the head band, and padding secured to the head band between the sweat band and head band.

ALBERT A. STRAUSS; 

